To Be or Not To Be'The' Perfect Girlfriend
by Youkomon
Summary: Roll's crush on Rockman leads her to take an unusual course of action...one that has some very unexpected results...
1. Figuring Out Something Small

A chaptered fic, one in which I have not entirely decided how long it will become. However, do not expect anything grand or amazing. The plot...isn't exactly epic.

Bearing in mind how Rockman and Roll have the mentality of twelve-year-olds, I will try to make any 'romance' realistic. That means nothing too smutty or drastic...no eloping in short. Also, no Netto x Meiru will take place, based on my entirely biased opinion that Meiru is a bad-tempered little madam who doesn't deserve someone as kind as Netto who repeatedly saves her life again and again.

Enjoy.

* * *

Picnics, an elevation of chequered red and white complete with tightened straw and baskets, sandwiches and a background of summer sun. Yes, Roll could well understand why Meiru enjoyed a picnic with Netto-kun during the holidays.

She watched rather enviously as the sunlight caught and tugged at the crinkles in her operators fashionable dress, basking her in an aura of youth and blissful pleasure. It was the sort of freedom all navis wished to posses; fashion chips just didn't allow for the same sort of flexibility.

Roll glanced over her outfit of skin-tight pink and sighed, inwardly wincing at the steady-fast nature of the hard helmet encasing her head…what boy would ever want to run his smooth palm over the cover and risk getting his fingers entwined with her antenna? Not a sane one surely…no wonder Gutsman seemed to prefer Medi over her now.

A sudden giggle from her happy net op directed her attention back to the outside world and her head snapped up once more. A faint skein of pink was scattered over Meiru's face and Netto's eyes were firmly burning a hole through the picnic mat. It appeared that he had misjudged the distance from his arm to the platter of honey-soaked biscuits and his hand had collided with the back of his friend's skull. He frowned, apologising shortly with a stubborn ring echoing from his voice as he pulled his fingers free from the soft red ringlets adorning them.

Roll groaned at how Meiru's pleased blush morphed into an angry frown at his adopted tone of voice. She was unsurprised at how, after exchanging a few sharp words with the confused Netto, her view of the world was tilted as a taut young hand gripped hold of the PET firmly and yanked it away from the ground. Roll swung her head round to an angle to properly observe her best friend's facial expression.

"That jerk!" burst out Meiru angrily, blowing Roll back a few feet with her volume output, "first he suggests this picnic outing after hardly spending any time with me at all for the past two weeks, then he strokes my hair and doesn't even comment on it! He just makes out that it's no big deal! I mean, what am I supposed to think! What other possible reason could a boy have for inviting a girl out for a picnic than because he likes her…he's supposed to say something nice when he strokes her hair, like how shiny it is or how soft….not that he's sorry!"

Roll saw the twinkle in Meiru's eyes that suggested that she was on verge of frustrated tears and decided not to point out that Netto had brushed against the back of her skull by accident.

"Meiru-chan…"

"Stupid Netto! That idiot! What does he take me for! I mean it's not like we've never had a single date before…he saved my life for God's sake! But he still refuses to say or do anything the slightest romantic…I don't even know if he likes me…"

Roll's green eyes lowered themselves, shimmering with unspent emotion as she felt herself identifying with her net op's words. How many times had she wondered if her actions or hints had left any lasting impression on Rockman?

"If only…if only there was some way to be sure that they liked us the same way back…" she murmured, fiddling with her antenna as a visible sadness plastered itself onto her face.

He faint musings were caught by a still-fuming Meiru who paused for a few moments before switching her focus down onto her net navi with a form of bemusement etched onto her grimacing mouth.

"Yes, well there isn't is there? Otherwise we wouldn't have to try so hard…why do we waste our time on such dense people anyway…"

Seeing a genuine tremor in Roll's fingers, Meiru softened somewhat before her gaze swept up onto a grassy ridge adorned with a large assortment of flowers, bursting with a multitude of colours and shapes.

"Although…"

Roll glanced up at the playful tone the red head now employed, a hint of calmness now flowing through her speech.

"We could always play a game."

Meiru grasped hold of her skirts in one pale hand as she rushed forward and knell down, running her delicate fingers up a few hard-verged stems as she did so, deluging in the rapier-thin sharpness that bled out along her skin. Her nails fondled a few petals, noting the pulse of veins strewing through their arching thinness as she did so before coming to rest on the plump head of a large daisy. She grinned.

"Watch this Roll…"

Feeling her friend's curious gaze upon her, Meiru plunked off the top off the flower, cupping it her left hand as the digits of her right set about pulling off the feathery strands of white circulating the heavy yellow centre.

"He loves me, he loves me not, he loves me, he loves me not…"

The pink navi's eyes widened upon hearing the chant, beginning to sparkle as the grasped the concept of this new game.

"He loves me."

Meiru smiled as the last petal drifted down form her fingers, her voice falling softly down with the tone of finality.

"Well that settles that then."

Roll glanced up, elbows knocking together as her hands clasped together in an appealing knot.

"Please Meiru-chan…do you think you could do the same for me and Rockman?"

The redhead felt her lips twitch into another gentle smile as the light that shone form her navi's eyes.

"Of course."

Roll watched eagerly, green eyes hungrily drinking up the new stalk Meiru's fingers selected as they ran over the scattered array of knots and greenness.

The human girl started to carefully deflower the tulip she had chosen, yanking out each individual petal firmly.

"He loves you, he loves you not…"

Green eyes traced the outline of shimmering red as it fell to the ground in a dazzle of splendid passion against the dry brown of earth.

"He loves you, he loves you not…"

Meiru felt amusement tweak at the corners of her lips as the devoted look Roll sported; didn't she realise this was no more than a game? Perhaps not, her best friend was well known for getting uptight and becoming blinded by paranoia whenever Rockman was concerned.

"He loves you, he loves you not…"

Roll could feel her breaths getting shorter with expectant anticipation, a swaying moment that caught her chest in a dizzy spin; she didn't even think to realise that navis don't breathe. Ever.

"He loves you not."

Meiru words died away and Roll was left with nothing but a vast ache hollowing out her data with a clammy coldness that gathered monument.

"Oi Meiru-chan!"

The girl in question lifted her head immediately catching the worry resounding in the decibels swinging through the brunette's vocal cords. Her smile instantly brightened.

"Netto! You came for me!"

The boy huffed, looking away in embarrassment.

"Of course I came for you! You ran away, leaving all that food to rot!"

Roll barely heard the familiar bickering tweaking her ear plates as it usually did. All she could centre on was this new found information that had rocked her very world.

'Rockman…doesn't _like_ me? I've made such a fool of myself…'

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Rockman was worried. Which wasn't in itself something very unusual. He worried about a lot of things. But today he was worried about Roll.

For the past week she had been very quiet, only volunteering her opinion when anyone asked for it and refusing to maintain any eye contact with him for more than a few seconds. This sort of behaviour was a far outcry from the bubbly, happy-go-lucky persona that Roll carried around with her day after day. And while deep down inside he had found the lavish displays of affection she had always publicly displayed to him embarrassing if not annoying at times, he was beginning to miss her exuberant cries of 'Rockman!' or the way her eyes seemed to light up whenever she saw him.

He was beginning to feel more than a little neglected.

"Rockman…"

The blue navi yelped in surprise at the subdued voice and spun round to see Roll shuffling her feet towards him.

"Yes…?" he questioned hesitantly, feeling more than a trickle of relief that she was beginning to speak out more for herself.

She sighed and he frowned at the way her eyes were downcast as though she was…afraid of him? He felt a chill run alongside his personal data then. No…it couldn't be that…

"I think…I think that it would be best for both of us if we didn't see so much of each other anymore…I-I'll be quite happy to talk at school but when Netto and Meiru are out together maybe…maybe we should just stick to our own PETs…"

The last word came out barely as a hushed whisper and Rockman stared at her incredulously.

"You what?!?"

Roll swallowed and brought her hands up together.

"I just think-"

Unfortunately it was then that a sharp ringing entered their hearing, signifying the end of the school day.

"Roll!"

The pink navi's features scrambled together in an effort to conceal her melancholy and she ran a finger along the air, opening a visual link to her PET's window that was now displaying a smiling Meiru.

"Finally! Normally history class is interesting but today Mariko-sensei seems a bit under the weather…normally I don't switch off like that when she's talking…you did take some notes down for me though right?"

Roll's hand found her mouth in an expression of shock and dismay.

"I-I'm sorry Meiru…I completely forget…"

The red-haired female frowned.

"What?!? That's not like you…hey, are you sure you're not feeling under the weather as well?"

The navi smiled, touched at her net-op's concern before waving her hand in dismissal.

"No Meiru-chan, I'm fine, honestly."

"But…are you sure Roll-chan?"

The pink navi turned at the sound of Rockman's voice, surprised at the gentle expression on his face.

"Of course…ah, you are silly Rockman!"

The blue navi stiffened, instantly straightening his back in an effort to tower over her.

"Ah! I only meant-"

Roll smiled inwardly before twisting her face round to Meiru.

"Meiru-chan, your mother wanted you to get some of that aromatic tea from Saloma remember?"

The red-head blinked before jamming her fist down in frustration against the desk.

"That's right! Thanks Roll."

She threw an apologetic look over her shoulder.

"Sorry Netto, I can't make it to the arcade with you today."

The boy grumbled something before Roll cut off the uplink, not feeling ready to deal with the immature bickering that would follow in his wake.

Rockman furrowed his brow in thought.

"Tea? I hear she's trying some new blend that designed to relax couples during tense periods of time. Netto and I saw a large crowd of girls surrounding her shop this morning. I'm guessing Salome's the place to go if you want relationship advice."

Roll paused.

"Really?"

The blue navi looked at her, a faint trace of amusement present on his face.

"Yes, really. Don't you watch the news anymore Roll-chan? You'll turn into a female version of Netto if you're not careful."

Roll scowled, fists tightening up into harsh cuts of pink.

"You idiot. You don't get it do you?"

Rockman drew back, a little scared of the bitter venom in her voice before blinking as she logged out accompanied by some hushed cursing. Was there something he was missing?

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Green, brown and the spice of earthly scents were always present in the shop Saloma owned and she was forever bustling among the trickles of leaves and basking pleasurably in their pastel shades. She was a firm believer in vegetation; take care of the planet and it takes care of you. She was more than pleased that her respect for life outside and within the stifling grey of the city was shared by many others she trusted and worked with, not least her navi Woodman who was perfectly content to watch her sprinkle some saplings with a watering-can.

Her eyes flashed upwards at the jangle of the bell posed upon the door and she smiled at the sight of Meiru Sakura. Although not quite sharing in Netto and Jasmine's natural enthusiasm for animals, she netherless was respectful of nature and was only too happy to help save it when necessary.

The girl smiled back, stalking past the various earthen pots lined up along the tiles, eyes lighting up at any bright colours that caught her fancy.

"Saloma…my mother's been hearing about this blend of tea you have…"

The shopkeeper's raised a finger in the air rather snidely.

"Ah, I wondered when she'd get wind of that…I have a package waiting in the back. Stay here."

Meiru nodded in affirmation, reverting her attention back to the potted flowers while the older woman good-naturally made her way to the back of the shop.

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Roll was desperate: gripping hold of her chance with both hands in the name of an uplink, she holstered herself through a few tricky connections.

Woodman blinked at the sudden rustle of pink entering his field of vision.

"Roll…Rockman's Roll?"

"Eh?"

Roll blinked before a strange mixture of anger and sadness sharpened her face.

"I'm not Rockman's anything…can't you remember my name on it's own?"

Woodman shifted uncomfortable.

"I must apologise. In the Net Official's world I meet a lot of new navis and I'm not very good at remembering people's faces especially if they're not that well-known or I don't see them for long periods of time. You just always seem to be hanging onto Rockman a lot of the time so it seemed easier to in define you that way."

The girl navi's eyes softened.

"I'm really that bad?"

Woodman grinned, sensing the opportunity for a joke at hand.

"Of course…it would take a powerful anti-solvent to separate you two!"

Roll's gaze shifted away into the distance.

"I see…no wonder he doesn't like me back…"

The taller navi's expression suddenly became alarmed as he detected the genuine hurt in her voice.

"What's the matter? You and Rockman have always been close."

Roll shook her head, a wry smile dotting along her cheeks.

"Not anymore. I've finally began to see how much of an attention seeker I am…and what guy in his right mind would want to be with some navi who never leaves him alone?"

"Doesn't sound too bad to me", mumbled Woodman before catching himself in her glare, "perhaps you'd better start from the beginning?"

Roll stared at him.

"You know what? I think I should."

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"Come on Rush!"

"Wuff!"

The little program sniffed, clearly conveying what he thought of this late night scheme in one look.

Roll grasped her hands together, the pale blues and shimmering silver of the night effectively staining her gesture into a remark appealing one.

Rush took one look and was putty in her hands. He had always had a strange affliction for the female navi after all.

"Now Woodman said it would be somewhere over here…" the young girl muttered, gingerly scrambling along the ledge of a badly parcelled data package.

Rush whined, legs whirling after her and anxiety gripped him.

Roll shot him a look.

"Don't give me that. It's just easier for me if you're here with your virus abilities. I don't trust this area of Internet City…and I certainly don't want Rockman to come running to my aid. That's the last thing either of us want."

Rush whined again, leaping up and bundling himself into her affectionate arms as they released the data package.

Roll smiled, gingerly stroking the smooth brown head.

"No, I couldn't take Meiru with me…it's too embarrassing."

Rush looked up at her with peroration.

Roll frowned, placing him down upon the ground again.

"This is not just about a flower!" she stated firmly, "I've already told Woodman this. This is about me being too selfish and Rockman turning his attention to other girls. I mean I've seen the way Medi looks and speaks to me…as though I'm shallow. And since then I've been slowly realising why I get so jealous when Rockman pays attention to anyone but me. It's because deep down I know he's going to walk off with some gorgeous girl who can actually fight and doesn't have to attach herself to his arm in order to get any recognition."

She turned away.

"Rockman doesn't want me. And I can't blame him one bit."

Rush's eyes softened with compassion and he tugged at her pink boot playfully with his forelimbs, letting out a few mock growls as he did so.

Roll giggled and spun round, stepping back daintily and swooping down to offer him an affectionate kiss at the end of his nose.

"Thanks Rush, you're my hero. You always know how to cheer me up."

Smiling at the pure look of awe he was bestowing her with, she briefly enclosed him in a friendly embrace before pushing herself onto her feet again.

"Now where could it be…" she muttered to herself, passing a critical eye over the junkyard of dying data as she did so.

Rush snarled, his little hackles rising earnestly as he stiffly made his way forward, nose already navigating through the miniature data streams.

Roll observed him cautiously before deciding to sort through a large pile of debris to her left. Without hesitation, her antenna whipped over her head and interlaced with a large amount of itinerating information seeping out of the assortment. A faint light pulsed through the thin sheen of yellow material, bringing a thin-lipped smile to Roll's face. Few navis could sort through data as well as she. Even Medi was hard-pressed to beat her.

She was distracted however by a sharp yip from her companion. Hastily unplugging herself from the information, she pelted forward, somersaulting over some discarded fashion chips in the process. She rounded the next corner, hair whipping round the soft lines of her back in a flurry of gold, gasping at the sight that met her.

A strange misshapen Metto virus was strolling towards her and Rush, dragging forward a strange looking program that gave off a sharp glow of pink light. The Metto was twice the size of the female navi and seemed to have developed a distinctive masculine figure that deeply resembled a nethundal male, the yellow trimmed hat sloping forward over his brow. The pickaxe swung from side to side lazily in a grotesque hand.

Roll hastily scanned the program, matching up the coding with the one Woodman had given her.

"That's it Rush! You found it!"

At her excited squeal, the humanoid Metto lifted it's blurry gaze, the whites of it's eyes becoming gripped in an alarmed frenzy at the sight if the pair. It let out a bellow and stumbled forwards.

Roll gasped but Rush wasted no time, creating a black portal that unleashed several other normal-sized Mettos who rushed over and began to hammer into their mutated cousin's feet with happy squeals.

The giant virus roared and stumbled forwards despite the onslaught of little axes on his feet. Collecting herself, Roll gripped hold of a yelping Rush and leapt out of the way. She laid him onto the ground before spinning to face the large Metto.

"Give me that program!" she shouted hotly.

The primal response she got was a scream as the Metto swung the miniature hindrances away from his legs and charged.

Roll shot towards him, whipping her arm through the air and unleashing a torrent of sharp-pointed heart protectorates.

"Heart Slash!"

The large virus bellowed in pain as the pink bullets ripped through his torso and he passed an arm over his face to take shelter. Acting quickly, his adversity jumped up, spreading her arms to gain height and sailed over his head with ease. She landed a few feet behind him and grabbed the program, dislodging it from the hand he had been holding it with.

"Thanks, I'll take it from here", she commented, a thrilled expression appearing over her face. The next second it morphed into one of confusion and shock as the program seeped through her hands and started configuring itself to match her unique settings.

"Wha-" she gasped as she felt a visible change come over her.

Eyes widening she glanced down to see the program already installing itself into her personal systems.

"This isn't right, no program should start acting off it's own accord…not unless…Woodman was wrong or lying…and that means…it's a virus…"

Her last conscious thought was how on earth the Metto virus had mutated as it had down here, her ponderings not even registering the dimmed barking of her faithful Rush as the sound jogged her memory for a fleeting second before settling into a monotone of blankness...


	2. The Date Setup

I sorta know where this is going, I swear...

* * *

Black eyes widened with a primitive fear, Rush twitched with aggravation as he watched his beloved mistress and friend slump to the ground, a pink glow rippling about her prone form as the mysterious program fully integrated itself inside her.

He let out a warning growl at the mutated Metto as it detangled it's heavy arm from it's face, blinking stupidly as it finally realised Roll's attack had ended. Glancing round, it recognised the female navi and an altogether vicious and thoroughly nasty expression passed over it's black face.

Recognising the danger, Rush yipped out in alarm and leapt up, releasing a large sum of virus to drown the Metto in. Without a second's hesitation he bounded over to Roll's side, tenderly nuzzling her with a fixated worry.

After a few moments, the female navi groaned and drowsily opened her eyes.

"Rush…?" she muttered sleepily.

The little program barked happily in affirmation and the pink navi rolled over onto her back, starching behind his ears in a distracted motion.

The dog was startled; didn't she realise the danger she was in?

As though to answer his question, the mismatched Metto suddenly cast off all his attackers in a heated fury of arms and good axe marksmanship. Eyes taking on a predatory glint, he stalked forwards.

Roll paused at the bellow and switched her focus over to the lumbering virus. Sighing, she carefully got up, bushing herself down and inspecting her tightly-clad uniform with a disgruntle air.

"Urgh…would it kill Meiru to actually give me something _nice_ to wear once in a while?"

Rush's ears perked up and his eyes scanned over with a trace of something greater than worry at the cold tone Roll threw upon her words: since when had she dropped the affectionate 'Chan' she usually loped onto the end of her operator's name?

The Metto roared again and the girl's green eyes became dull with boredom, though a strange vicious light began to pound in at the corner of her irises.

"Not much of a talker are you?" she commented airily, gingerly glancing down at her fingers as though they held far more importance than the angered creature before her.

That was the final straw.

A few things happened at once; the virus charged, Rush started shoving against Roll's boots with a keening desperation and the female in question developed a misty-eyed expression. Running her tongue alongside her teeth, she exhaled huskily and fluttered her eyelashes in such a way that Meiru would have killed to acquire. And then she let out a little tutting sigh that fluttered straight into the rampaging Metto's ears and stopped him dead in his tracks.

Silence…it rang out loud and clear and Rush's eyes bulged.

Causally kicking the brown dog off her feet and ignoring his offended yelp, Roll stalked towards the now staring Metto, hips rolling at every stride. A slow smirk spread over her lips.

"Hey there…"

A million thoughts ran through Rush's mind, each more unexplainable than the last as his idol let a single delicate finger trace around the bruised lips of her opponent and slide under his chin.

"Hgrhhh…." the lonely virus purred, shifting his feet and closing his eyes in pure bliss at the soothing motions of this suddenly very forward navi.

"My, my, aren't you a big boy?" murmured Roll, her voice developing a teasing trait. Then her eyes hardened.

"Unfortunately you're not my type."

And with that stunning remark she jammed her fingers straight into the Metto's now drooling mouth and out the through the back of his head.

"Bye, bye."

She bounded back with ease as the big virus's eyes shot open and his hefty limbs swung out in a flailing motion.

"Love Me Heart Chain!"

A long line of pink hearts connected together in a whip like strand erupted out of a poised finger and wrapped itself round the struggling Metto, tautly binding his in to a wriggling mess of dissolving data.

Roll sniggered.

"Oh, I am sooooo bad."

She strode over to the dying virus before securely lifting up a single boot and slamming in down onto an already cracked helmet. The virus shattered instantly into a screaming mass of pixels.

Rush watched on in horror as she confidently flipped her hair back over her shoulder and pumped a fist up into the air in victory.

"Yes! I took on a mutated virus by myself! Now I can prove myself to Rockman!"

Whooping, she danced around the junkyard, all violence removed from her present behaviour and washed away to the eyes of the baffled Rush. She circulated the heap a few more times than scooped up the relived dog and swept him round in a rejoicing arc.

"We did it! The program really works!"

Rush tried to show his enthusiasm, he really did. But he could not help but shudder when he recalled the hostile facial expression she had donned during her successful battle. Or the way she had flawlessly executed a new attack that he knew for certain could not exist unless an operator gave expressive permission for a modifying program to do so.

But then again…

The little dog looked down into her shinning eyes and smiled. She was happy and so was she. And how could that glowing face possibly be hiding something deadly?

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Lines of code and scrambled sets of numbers fluttered in and out of existence as they shimmered on a lime-green desktop. They twinkled, blistered in their brief life of brightness with an insatiable appetite for light before dying away or becoming recycled into something more solid.

Rockman loved feeling these pinpricks of earnest data brush against his frame; they were too small for him to analyse properly though he was almost certain that they bore resemblance to the 'ghost code' many programmers muttered about. But to him this hardly mattered. The flashes of sensation he experienced when touching them always lifted his spirits and reminded him of the stars Netto liked so much, burning in their prison of velvet blue.

He often wondered if other navis went through similar emotions or even felt a trickle of inspiration as he did so. It wasn't really an idea that he felt comfortable sharing with his normal comrades; Blues and Search man had no time for such frivolities and Gutsman would not understand a word. And Glyde? He would sooner raise a polite eyebrow and make an off-topic remark about the weather.

In fact, it was more a topic that his female friends would be more supportive of. Medi was a first-rate speaker, giving many wise words and proved to be an enjoyable companion. She was probably the best one to go to. His other female friend tended to get excitable over such thoughts, her happy nature often inflating her head with romantic notions he couldn't even begin to contemplate. That said, she was a good listener and was usually supportive of whatever he chose to do. There was just this problem of her recent uncertainty around him…

Yes, Medi was the better choice but he had known Roll longer and hence felt a stronger sense of loyalty towards her. She had been with him from the word 'go' and despite many awkward situations and misunderstandings…his friendship with her had always remained firm. She, more than Medi, had witnessed the many changes to his character over the years and followed his evolution from the newly-programmed Rockman who liked to spar with Gutsman to one who had seen so much hurt and suffering in the darker areas of the net. She knew all of him, more so than newer friends he met within his missions.

Really, it was annoying, this little niggling in the back of his skull that hammered on and on to him about Roll and her pretty smile that made him feel like his mouth was clamped shut and that ridiculous way embarrassing 'girly' comments from her caused the strangest mixture of warmth and fuzzy jabs of queasiness to arise from his thread-bared stomach.

Or maybe it was just the ghost code talking.

A thin, shrill 'ding' suddenly jarred his hearing capabilities and his eyes developed a visibly startled look.

"What on earth?"

He then blinked as a large holographic projection of an envelope floated up beside him.

"Huh? This email service is an older model than hardly anyone uses anymore…"

Shrugging, the blue navi gingerly opened the email, quickly scanning over the text and becoming more and more confused over each sentence.

'_Hey Rockman, are you free now? And don't use the old 'Netto needs help with his homework' excuse again. The little brat is old enough and strong enough to handle algebra equations by himself. So…I'll see you about 8:00? At the Metro tower in Internet City? Wear that nice tuxedo fashion chip Meiru bullied Netto into getting last Tuesday. And for God's sake, do something about that helmet dear?_

_Love Roll.'_

Rockman twitched. 'Dear?' The next instant, a thoroughly unpleasant scowl crawled over his facial expression.

"Brat? What is wrong with her? She's never been so nasty about Netto-kun before…I'm going to have words with her."

And thus resolved to straighten out a few matters with Roll, Rockman abandoned the email while running over a selection of choice words in his head. He logged out with a visible trail of irritation in his wake, very much tuxedo-free.

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Roll paced up and down in front of the tower, hands worrying at each other.

"Where is he? Of all times to be late!"

Rush watched over her from a few metres away, letting out a sympathetic whines as he did so. Roll flashed him a grateful look and returned to her frantic pacing.

"Urgh…"

She immediately brightened however when she heard the tell-tale sign of a logging-in.

'Finally…'

"Rockman!" she cried out, beaming brightly as she spun round to face him.

Rockman, however was busy doing the impression of a suffocating goldfish. His jaw dropped another few precious inches as he the full impact of her strange attire hit him.

His friend blushed as she felt his eyes firmly fixed on her, running a critical eye over her new dress-code. She had enclosed her usual pink uniform in a frilly yet slimming black evening gown that trimmed off in a reel of Victorian -style lace. She had also fiddled with the colour code in her own personalised settings to change the pink in her gloves and helmet into a smooth ebony tone. Of course, she was unable to change her antenna or the 2-D diongle diangal pattern of her blond hair and so had merely traded in her green bow for a sparkling ruby butterfly clip. To complete the gothic, prom-queen feel of her outfit, she had slipped on some high-heeled black boots complete with a wide array of silver buckles.

Meiru was not going to be happy to discover a large budget cut in her bank account had arisen because of a last minute shopping spree for fashion chips.

Rockman swallowed, wondering why he so desperately wished that girly green bow was still residing in her hair.

"You look…wow…"

Roll giggled, a crimson blush replacing the faint, polished, pink one that had been there earlier.

"Thank you…now let's start our date!"

Rockman blanched.

"D-date?!?"

His scary companion laughed again, a light tinkle of velvet dust through the air, as she intertwined her arm with his.

"Of course, silly! Why else would I call for you at this hour?"

She sighed, looking up into the sky dramatically as her eyes twinkled with the promise of things to come.

"First we'll go to that ice exhibition the water plant is holding, then window shopping round a few of my favourite stores, then a nice slow walk around that park they set up two months back, a boat ride or perhaps a Metto-drawn carriage around town and maybe if you treat me well enough, I'll even let you do some sparing in the stadium!"

Rockman looked at her aghast then shook his head slowly.

"Roll…"

The female navi looked at him, the spark still vibrantly shinning in her emerald eyes.

"Yes?"

Gently, the blue navi disentangled himself from her grasp and enfolded her slim hands in his.

"This…all this…it's too much! I don't know what's going on but I'm your friend and I want to help you. Your erratic behaviour. It has to stop. Now."

He stared at her straight in the eye, inwardly marvelling at how brittle her curled fingers felt with his grasp. Almost breakable. Almost.

Roll stared at him blankly feeling a large piece of her tear out with every word issued from his lips.

"W-what?"

She felt a fuzzy sense of anger close in on her mind and turned her attention on his pity-filled eyes.

'A tuxedo', she realised, 'he's not wearing a tuxedo.'

And with that, a part of her snapped.

"So…is that all I am to you?"

Rockman looked on, puzzled as she smoothly drew her hands away from his and lowered her head.

"I d-don't understand."

"Of course you don't!" snapped Roll, frostbite in her voice, "you don't ever understand. You're such a simpleton. I'm always there for you, I risk my life for you, I want to tear out the eyes of any girl you gets so godamn close to you and I always hold on to you as though I'm trying to break your arm. Why is that do you reckon? Is it because I'm your friend? You're such a moron you don't even realise one of your best friends is crushing on you!"

At this, Rockman issued a sharp gasp. He had always suspected that sooner or later he would have to deal with some fan girls professing their undying love for him, it was only natural. But this was Roll and the outcome of this situation was invaluable. She was his friend, albeit one that made his stomach squirm sometimes in a good way, but he was not even ready to admit any kind of interest in the opposite sex yet. He still had battles to enjoy and missions to attend. Dating was something he had no time for, planning to put on hold until Netto himself reached puberty.

For some reason, the idea of Roll developing any sort of feeling for him that grew greater than that of the platonic sense was absurd. She was such a pretty girl that he'd always figured she would end up with someone more mature and better equipped to protect her and give her what she needed. Someone like Blues whose temperament indicated that he never insulted women or was accused of being insensitive by them.

He felt lower than a worm. And entirely unsuited for dealing with the hurt feelings of a girl he was incredibly fond of.

"Roll-chan…"

A whistle of air brushed past his head and his cheek went taut as a furious black palm whacked against it. Shocked, he stumbled back, peering up into her furious expression with a hurt look.

It was the first time she had ever slapped him.

Roll herself felt a spasm of shock as she quailed at his sorrowful look.

"Rockman…"

She stared down at the hand that had hurt him as though it had betrayed her, flinching as a new thought struck her.

'Since when did I become as violent as Meiru-chan? This isn't like me…'

Gnawing at her bottom lip, she suddenly felt a daze sweep over her and a cloud mist over her memory. She looked up blankly.

"Rockman? What are you doing on the ground?"

The blue navi stared on in fright as a gentle expression settled in her unsettled eyes. It was clear that she had suddenly forgotten the entire incident.

Distracted, he glanced over at a pining whine form Rush and saw the familiar terror on the dog's face. He imagined it was the exact same sensation he himself was experiencing.

"Rush…"

The navi was not surprised to hear the thick, emotional quality his voice had developed.

"What happened? What did this to her? _Who_ did this to her? Tell me!"

A familiar, warm breeze drifted through his ears as the girl laughed.

"Silly Rockman! Nothing did anything to me. I'm fine."

Smiling, Roll extended a hand towards him, the dazed look on her face still intact.

"Now, let me help you up."

Palms fumbling against the ground, Rockman yanked himself backwards in a desperate struggle, his face stretched into a keening sort of fright.

"Roll. Listen to me. There's something very wrong here. I don't know what it is yet, but I promise you, I will do everything in my power to help."

Confusion weighed down heavily on the female navi's brow while she pondered his words, a finger thoughtfully protruding her lip.

"Hmm…Rockman did you hit your head again?"

Her friend was at a loss for words.

"Roll…"

Then his face hardened.

"You're coming with me."

Ignoring her offered hand, he thrust up and gripped her other one, squeezing the digits into his hold firmly.

"Let's go back to Meiru-chan. She's worried about you."

Immediately a change darted over Roll's face, covering it in a look of absolute scorn. She waved a hand dismissively.

"Oh, Pfft! Since when did Meiru need a babysitter? I refuse to let that little witch spoil our quality time together. All she ever cares about is 'Netto this' and 'Netto that'. Do you have any idea how tiring it is to listen to some fashion-orientated freak rattle on about how miserable she is because her hair didn't turn out right or her new dress got torn? She should be grateful! I can't ever get a new hairstyle!"

Rockman dropped her hand in shock and stared at her solidly, a heavy wall of emotion stammering out through his mouth.

"Roll-chan…how can you say such awful things? Meiru-chan is your operator and friend. She cares about you a lot. And since when did you stop calling her 'chan'?"

Roll stubbornly whirled her head away and stuck her small nose up into the air.

"Ever since I get my head straightened out about a few things."

Rockman approached her, blue hands outstretched as though ready to grasp her in case she bolted.

"Oh really? What kind of 'straightening out'?"

Ignoring his edgy mannerisms, she gave her hair a simple flick over the shoulder and observed a few navis chattering animatedly a fair distance away.

"I grew up."

The male fingers wound into themselves tightly and clenched down hard and painfully. Gritting his teeth together at her unwillingness to give him a straight answer, Rockman grabbed her hand again, determinedly pulling her towards him.

"Home. Now."

His voice made no room for arguments.

Roll glanced down softly, smiling as she saw the protective cradle of his hand over hers.

"Are you sure you don't want to stop off at the ice exhibition?"

"Oh yes," he intoned firmly, "I'm quite sure."

* * *

Still working on the next chapter guys. It's one of those things I keep coming back to every now and again... 


	3. Deleting the Cause

Hah. Yeah, I know, I was slow. Sorry. But my God, I think it's actually finished!

0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

Meiru stared on, expressions of shock and dismay colliding against her face.

"There Rockman, there you are, all nice and presentable!"

The blue navi sighed, brushing off Roll's fingers as she chattered animatedly with a vacant shine in her eyes that stabbed into him unwillingly. After six hours of begging, pleading, yelling and hysterics that bordered on the edge of an emotional breakdown, Rockman had finally relented and put on the new, fashionable tuxedo.

Roll edged her head sideways and considered his new look.

"Hmm…I don't know.."

Meiru gave a nervous laugh.

"Err…Roll…I think, Rockman's bow-tie is straight enough…"

Instantly Roll's amiable expression turned nasty.

"Shut up you bitch! What do you know of being a homemaker?"

At once Meiru's mouth closed like a trap, deep hurt sealing it shut.

Rockman raised a comforting palm.

"Ah…I'm sorry Meiru-chan, she's just not feeling…"

"…herself, yes I know", finished off the young girl miserably, her red bangs hanging down sloppily against her cheeks as she lowered her head.

Roll clapped her hands together decisively, finally pleased with her handiwork before her neck stretched out and she peered over Rockman's head.

"Where is that dumb operator of yours dear?"

Rockman's lips curled tightly and his fists clenched just that little bit harder; he was fond of Roll, yes, but Netto would always come first and foremost.

"His name's Netto and he is asleep. I thought I should talk to Meiru first about your new personality before consulting him."

Roll shrugged.

"Whatever Rocky."

Her 'date' twitched.

'_Rocky…?'_

"Remember _Rocky_, Roll's not herself", interjected Meiru a little viciously, eyes lighting up with a fire that made him tremble.

'_God Netto, no wonder you have such a problem with her sometimes…'_

Roll frowned.

"Oi! That's my pet name little girl!"

Meiru gnashed her teeth together fiercely, face edging closer to the screen and ballooning outwards in a temporary fit of anger that governed over her common sense.

"'_Little girl'?_ You've been programmed to be exactly the same age as me!"

The pink navi smirked, fingers artistically snapping at the tips of the glove on her left hand, drawing the data out in a whip-like stretch. The gesture was reminiscent of the Devil Roll they had encountered once before and despite himself, Rockman shivered. There were some enemies he would just _not_ fight.

"Oh really?"

Roll raised her voice, letting a satisfied smile zoom in on the monitor, before continuing.

"Then how come I'm the one with the boyfriend?"

There was a guttural choke and Rockman turned away, unable to bear seeing the unnatural sound being ripped out of Meiru's throat.

"Oh you-" the redhead choked on her own words, angry tears vexing her pale skin as the situation fell upon her shoulders once more.

"Rockman!"

Her eyes sought out his slender blue form eagerly.

"I want Netto. He can fix this! Please…"

Hunching his shoulders, the little navi sighed, already insecure with his own choices. His next action was to flinch however as he felt the trace of famine fingers stroking the nape of his neck.

"Rocky…" crooned the love-struck navi, "when are you taking me away from here? Can't we catch a movie or…or something! Let's blow this joint!"

Straining away from her slightly at the sound of her ill-timed cliché, he caught sight of the faded green glint in her eyes. It was frightening…as though the real Roll was becoming lost in this new personality. He had no wish to see his best female friend erased from his life because of some mistake. Maybe he could talk to her properly in private, get her to recollect some memory that would make her remember who she was.

It was a true mark of desperation that made Rockman utter his next words.

"Let's go."

Meiru was left blinking back salty, water droplets as the two navis disappeared in a fine haze of pixels.

"WHAT?!?"

000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000 

Woodman was not having a good night. Saloma had forgotten to arrange her till accounts properly and so he was having to sort through the swirl of numbers manually. It was no mean feat; he was not a calculator and with no battle chips…well, his solid body proved to be a hindrance as the nifty digits swam through his stubby grip with ease. Groaning he flopped down on his side, wishing for all the world that he could curl up on the sofa like his operator and throw a purple blanket over himself.

He blinked as a particularly cheeky five wiggled its ends at him. Growling, he made a half-hearted swipe at it and idly wondered if Saloma had remembered to water the spider plants this evening.

This rather delicate trail of thought was disrupted by a furious blue fist that knotted itself into his line of vision and punched him clearly in the face. Woodman blinked, shocked that someone had the audacity to attack him despite his formidable reputation. He was shocked further by a derisive feminine snort. It rang hollow with contempt and seemed to be scornful. He was suddenly struck by a dim memory of a young girl navi made old before her time with the craved cruelty of World Three in a stadium so long ago.

He glanced up to see Rockman and Roll before him, the male fists shaking with barely suppressed fury though he had a feeling it was not directed at the pink navi whose attention was now firmly fixated on her partner as she tried to stuff a digital rose between his teeth. She was also making some extremely motherly clucking noises with her tongue as she attempted to squeeze his jaws open with her forefingers.

Rockman gave Woodman a look of death.

"What-did-you-do-to-her!" he ground out in a thin whisper, careful to give his mouth barely enough space for Roll to succeed in her task.

It didn't take Woodman long to figure out what he meant considering the topic of conversation he recalled breaching with Roll. He grimaced. He had warned her but obviously her in-expertise in such matters as virus busting had come to a head.

"Oi, I'm talking to-URG!"

Rockman realised his fatal error too late as he opened his mouth wider to verbally thrash Woodman, only to elicit a delighted squeal from Roll as she happily stuffed the flower in his yawning throat. Rockman's eyes bulged as he gargled noisily and spat out a few petals and thorns, watching them turn into flakes of disappearing data.

Roll frowned.

"Can't you even do one little romantic gesture for me? It is really too much to ask from my one true love?"

Rockman stared at her weakly, not really surprised by her word choice anymore.

Woodman coughed.

"Well…I did warn her…"

The next second he was inwardly cringing again. Rockman's god-like anger was rearing up on his face and practically smiting him with its intensity.

"So it was you! I mean I wasn't sure, she was rambling a lot, but when she mentioned that you helped her change…"

Woodman frowned.

"Wait, you punched me before you knew for certain that I was involved?"

"I'm a little stressed", muttered Rockman, the muscles of his upper right arm tensing a little as Roll dug her claws in.

"No doubt…look, she was miserable. Because of you may I add. It wasn't really your fault but all girls are like this. So I just told her of this rumour…"

He swallowed as Roll let out a loud bawl.

"GOD, I'M SO BORED! JEEZ, ROCKMAN LET'S GET OUTTA HERE!"

She started to tug him over to the nearest uplink.

"Wait Roll, this is _your story_, remember?" Woodman proclaimed, empathising the word 'story' in particular, allowing the syllables to dot his tongue with a proud, steely tone.

Roll stopped immediately.

"My story…" she murmured, her eyes clouding over with trails of swarming data. She spun round.

"Well okay then! But it better be quick!"

Rockman stared at Woodman with nothing short of amazement.

"How did you do that?"

"It was an educated guess", Woodman replied, "and you'll see why in a minute. Anyway, I told Roll that there was some leftover data from a popular RPG game from a few years back. A dating

game I believe. It was funded by that large-fore-headed girl you know. About some kind of pink princess…"

Rockman's eyes widened as he remembered.

"That game? The one where she turned Netto-kun and his friends into bad guys? We helped retrieve the princess' personality data!"

"Did you?" Woodman seemed uninterested, "at any rate some hacker tried to add some x-rated scenes into a ROM version of the game. And then he put in some additional storylines, tweaking the

princess' personality, adding in some maid characters and so forth. It was very popular on the internet. And there were rumours of a large pile of left-over options being in the junkyard…"

Rockman stared solidly at him, trying to conceal his blushing cheeks with what he hoped was an intimating expression on his face.

"I-I don't get it…why would Roll want data about x-rated…stuff?"

Woodman gave a wry smile.

"I don't think she did. She just wanted you to look at her. So she was going to use the data to install some of the personality from the characters into her systems temporally to become a bit more

confident. You have to remember it wasn't just a romance game, it was a fighting one as well. There were a few types of attack that the hacker edited out and put into the left-out data."

Rockman paused.

"That's…just really stupid."

"Girls do some brainless things in order to try and make a certain guy like them better", Woodman agreed.

But Rockman wasn't listening to him anymore.

"Roll-chan…"

He pulled on her fingers.

"…I liked you the way you were. Why did you have to go and change yourself?"

The fast and furious change in Roll's countenance was electrifying. Rockman flew backwards as she slammed her left fist directly into his waist. Gasping, he thundered along the floor a good few

feet until Woodman extended a hefty arm and seized him by the waist.

"Rockman!"

"I'm…okay", he wheezed along the unspoken sentence hung heavily between them.

_No thanks to you._

"Liar", hissed Roll.

She was furious, blue sparks dancing in eyes that had previously been a soul-weaving green. Pure electricity rather than the darkness of the devil chip was running through her systems now and she

was spitting, hissing like an underestimated alley cat.

"You never liked me the way I liked you. Oh sure, you liked Aki-chan, maybe even Medi who was always so goddamn reasonable. Butneverme!"

And with her words stinging through the air, she stomped over to the nearest exit and vanished.

"Roll!"

"Come back!"

There was a taunt hesitance between the two males.

"I should call Netto-ku-no, on second thought, you do it, you call him and work out a solution. You tell him everything that you told me. Tell him how this is all your fault. I'll go and get Roll-chan."

Woodman watched him disappear in a stunned frame of mind.

"I presume he actually knows where she's gone…"

00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

Racing through the darkness of Internet City, there was an abstract beauty to be found in the dappled shaded of blues and grey that coated the funereal-wrap of the streets. But Rockman paid this

observation no heed, breaths, if they could be called that, issuing out from his thin chest in a fast beat of near-panic. His boots were red to the touch, pounding over tiles he had walked over at such

a calm pace only a countless amount of times before.

And everywhere- mayhem - no Roll, but Mayhem.

One navi was trying to sew himself together, looking down in disbelief at his dismembered limbs. Another, a young girl, was whimpering, cradling her face from view though Rockman could see ugly

deep bars of shame running our from between her fingers in the shape of long fingernails. Feminine fingernails. There were more but he couldn't bring himself to look. And some of these navis…he

recognised them from he battle stadium. They were no pushovers…and Roll hadn't been using any battlechips…

He was almost there. It had to be there, it was the first landmark she picked out after all, it was onl-

"Love-me Heart Chain!"

He barely dodged. Crouched on the sidewall, thanking his battle reflexes and staring up at the Metro Tower where he could make out a faint figure balancing itself out artistically on a round-rimmed

edge about halfway up.

"Damn it!"

Her voice was clear, sharp and annoyed.

"I missed."

Rockman stared at the line of pink hearts deeply embedded in the road where he had been previously. They had scored through the hard data, leaving a harsh, angry line spanning through almost

the entire street.

Roll sighed, snapped her fingers and the chain disappeared.

Rockman didn't waste any time, calling up his famous buster and firing off a warning shot above her head. He was always so accurate these days. He could remember a time when he wouldn't have

even dared to fire anywhere near her.

A shocked look developed on Roll's face as she raised an elegant hand and placed over her chest emblem protectively.

"Would you really shoot me? Me? Pretty, sweet, little Roll-chan?"

Rock's gun stuttered in protest and he lowered it, glancing up at her keenly.

"No…I can't hurt you Roll-chan…you're my friend."

The female allowed a grimace to spite her pretty features.

"Just a 'friend'…how typical Rockman. Nothing's ever gonna change."

Rockman was speechless.

"Roll-chan…"

Already his green eyes were swimming with some form of unspent emotion. Words could only fail to grasp how much he hated this whole ordeal.

The female navi placed a slender finger aside her puckered lips in a shushing motion than gave a tight-lipped smile.

"Don't worry Rockman. You don't have to worry about hurting my feelings anymore. I'm going to become what all your fan girls think I am already. A slut. Some stupid, good-for-nothing whore who dreams of a fairytale but never gets one."

"YOU'RE NOT GOOD-FOR-NOTHING!" Rockman burst out indignantly. A horrific rage swam over his newly-choked out sentiments and now fury grasped his limber frame.

The gun disappeared and left a thin blue glove clenched tight within itself. And it was shaking. Hard.

"You're Roll-chan."

A whisper now. And it was barely breaking, shivering within itself. A little cocoon of sanity.

"That's what I think. You're Roll-chan. Just that. I don't care if your stroppy and opinionated. You think I care? I don't. Roll-chan…you have a lot of lovely qualities. You're kind, pretty, smart, brave…do you ever shiver at the sight of a ghost? No. Roll-chan is Roll-chan. And I'm proud to be her friend. I can't think of anyone else I'd rather spend some of my free time with."

He smiled gently.

"But I won't get to spend time with you if you jump off a big block of data, will I?"

Something in her wavered.

"H-how-"

"How did I know what you were considering? Simple. You were miserable. And you have the tendency to punish yourself and others like Gutsman when you get like that. And I know some part of

you hates hurting the innocent. Some part of you hates what you've just done."

"NO!"

Rockman didn't know why this verbal outburst came out with such rage. Maybe she hated how well he could read her. Perhaps she was silently agreeing with him. All he really knew what that she

had already leapt.

"Roll-chan!"

She was already sobbing, plunging both hands into Meiru's crest upon her body. A crest that spoke of loyalty and love, something Meiru had spent hours designing when she was younger.

"I'm sorry Meiru-chan…so sorry…"

And she dug, even while she was falling, dug, dug deep and hard, wondering if this was even possible. But she could feel it. Some part of her that was foreign to how she was meant to be. She

grasped hold of that wiggling, squirming piece of junk data, hearing it ring her ears with its spoiled bawl and tugged it out…oh, it was so slow in coming out, it hurt…but really, wasn't it whooshing

out of her systems in great, heaving chunks of whimpering cries? Because she was falling…and that really took out no chunk of time at all.

"Hello Princess", she smiled, tight-lipped, pulling out the last few dregs and exhaling harshly. The data fell from her hands in clumps.

"ROLL-CHAN!"

Poor Rockman. Her thoughts were lazy. And then…

_ Softness.  
_

_ What?_

She jerked upright. Rush 'arfed' at her, stump of a tail wagging. She blinked and saw an immense pile of viruses built up beneath her, all wiggling and squealing in makeshift huddles.

She smiled gently.

"Rush...my hero", she stated giving him a small kiss on the snout. She constantly amazed at his ability to turn up whenever he was needed.

"Roll-chan!"

She paused, no small amount of dread filling her up inside. Rockman was leaping up towards her in great strides.

"It's okay…" she muttered, "I got the data out."

_ It's no less than how you rejected Dark Rockman._

"That was amazing Roll-chan!"

He was smiling, a warm hue of gold nestling itself into his expression.

"Not many navis can do that! I always knew you were strong…"

"I didn't know I could do that either."

_ Still I tried._

"Rockman."

She was serious now.

"I said a lot of strange things…didn't I? And I hurt all those navis….there's no going back…I have to heal them!"

He grabbed her by the shoulder as she heaved herself towards the ground.

"Roll-chan…that wasn't you."

She gave a twisted smile.

"It wasn't entirely not me either. Sometimes I get tired of Meiru-chan. Sometimes I want to fight. Sometimes I want to beat you up like Meiru does to Netto."

She hesitated as she saw a disguised laugh choking itself to death within his unsteady frame.

"What?"

"You added the 'chan' back…"

He looked at her.

"I'll call Medi to help out. You can apologise all you want Roll but after this…we have to talk."

She had forgotten how forgiving and…and how refreshing he was. How could she have that? How could she have abused that?

"Okay."

She had learned before how difficult it was to refuse him and shove him out of her heart.

000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

Meiru was glad. Netto was glad. Rockman was glad. Woodman was relieved.

Meiru had cried. And Roll felt terrible. She had shoved all her power all the last scraps of left-over data and had deleted it entirely. She was fast considering joining up on the new anti-hacker

campaign Yaito had recently stirred up as well.

But she was gradually getting better. She knew she was stronger than she had ever given herself credit for. Maybe even stronger than her beloved Meiru-chan had given her credit for. One day they

would both realise it fully. But for now…

"So…"

"So…"

Rockman was nudging the floor with his boot and she resolutely fingering her hair, having yanked the gold strip over her shoulder and across her chest.

"It's not that I don't want a girlfriend…" he started.

He stopped. Then coughed.

"I do actually quite like you Roll-chan. I just never really thought much about the two of us…well...you know…"

"I'll wait."

He stopped again. Her voice was so quiet.

"I'll wait…until you're ready to decide what kind of girl you want for a partner."

Now her voice was growing stronger.

"I really, really do like you as more than a friend Rockman. You're the only guy I've ever really set my heart on like this. No one has ever caught my attention the way you have. And even if you

don't end up choosing me…I'll still be your friend. I'll be there for you."

He looked at her.

"I wouldn't expect anything less form you Roll-chan."

He hesitated a bit, urging his foot to stop tapping.

"You know…there's a new attraction that opened up recently. They say they've invented something similar to ice-cream for navis. It's not much but I want you to come with me. You alone."

It was interesting, he noted, to watch her surprise transform into unwavering delight.

"Oh Rockman!"

Here it comes…

She launched herself at him with pinpoint accuracy, wrapping herself around him in a way he was very familiar with.

"You can wear that butterfly clip if you want", he told her playfully.

He preferred her this way. And secretly he wondered if perhaps he had been subconsciously dating her all along. They did end up alone together quite a lot, despite net saviour duties. Ghost code

indeed.

"Nothing serious right?" she asked, withdrawing slightly.

"Nothing serious", he agreed.

Roll would always be his friend. There was nothing to stop her from being more. But for now…he wanted to enjoy what little childhood they had left if possible.

"And…I'm okay with that."

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Well, I did warn you that the end result wouldn't be very epic. They're still kids at heart but since the canon coupling is somewhat cute I really wanted to put down my own take on their relationship. And I'm reasonably happy at how it turned out. Thanks to those of you that read this far. And the last chaper came out on St. Val's day no less. Woot!


End file.
